Controlled demolition of three giant bucket-wheel excavators was carried out by DEI (Public Power Corporation) at the Mavropigi mine in Kozani, as part of the process of decommissioning old equipment no longer used in mining operations. The operation was carried out by a specialized team which, acting on DEI’s orders, placed explosives on the machines. Within seconds, the three bucket-wheel excavators — each approximately 100 meters long, 50 meters tall, and weighing over 150 tons — collapsed in a controlled manner.
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Kozani: “This is equipment that no longer serves the needs of lignite operations”
DEI’s Lignite Center director, Antonis Nikou, speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), stated that “this is equipment that has been taken out of service and no longer serves the needs of lignite operations.” The use of explosives was deemed necessary so that the crews responsible for cutting and removing the metal components could work more safely at ground level.
According to Nikou, “in the coming period, similar operations are expected to follow for other bucket-wheel excavators that have been withdrawn from the production process.” The metal materials resulting from the dismantling of the machines will be sold as scrap.
